Angularly adjustable handle for hand tools

ABSTRACT

An adjustable handle for hand tools of the type having a shank to be rotated manually and wherein the handle may be adjusted angularly to different positions relative to the axis of the shank to increase the leverage obtainable to rotate the shank.

United States Patent Kuenzel 1 1 Nov. 20, 1973 [54] ANGULARLY ADJUSTABLE HANDLE FOR 1,379,536 5/1921 Davies 81/177.8 HAND TOOLS FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [76] Inventor: Rainer Kuenzel, 9606 Meadowglen, 304,816 4/1955 Switzerland 145/61 G HOUStOH, Tex. 13,668 /1880 Germany 145/61 L [22] Flled: July 1971 Primary Examiner-Othell M. Simpson [21] Appl. No.: 159,167 Assistant Examiner-Mark S. Bicks Attorney-Charles E. Lightfoot et al. [52] US. Cl. 145/61 G, 8l/l77.8, 145/61 L S 51 Int. (:1. B25g 1/00 [571 ABSTRACT [5 8] Field of Search 145/50 R, B, 61 G, An adjustable handle for hand tools of the type having /61 L; 81 177.8 a shank to be rotated manually and wherein the handle may be adjusted angularly to different positions [56] References Cited relative to the axis of the shank to increase the lever- UNITED STATES PATENTS age obtainable to rotate the shank. 1,473,436 11/1923 Leopold 8l/l77.8 6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Patented Nov. 20, 1973 Rainer Kuenzel IN VE N TOR BY Charles E.Lightfoot 2 Donald Gunn ATTORNEYS FIGJ ANGULARLY ADJUSTABLE HANDLE FOR HAND TOOLS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Manually operated tools, of the type adapted to be gripped in the hand and having a shank which is rotated by wrist action, such as screw drivers, socket wrenches, and the like, are commonly provided with handles which are disposed in fixed axial alignment with the shank.

In the use of hand tools of this kind, it is often difficult to apply sufficient torque to the shank to obtain the force needed for effective operation of the tool, due to the limited leverage obtainable by gripping the handle and turning the same by action of the wrist.

Various means have been proposed heretofore for improving the mechanical advantage obtainable with such tools, such as by the provision of handles of increased diameter or the use of cross-handles. Due to the increased lateral extent of enlarged or crosshandles, however, the use of devices of this kind are often unsatisfactory, particularly in locations where the working space is very limited or where surrounding parts or equipment interfere with the use of handles of increased size.

Moreover, the use of an axial handle whose position is fixed greatly limits the use of such tools in inaccessible or crowded locations, so that the handle cannot be gripped in its normal manner of use for operation in such locations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention, briefly described, comprises a shank having a disk-like head at one end whose axis is disposed at right angles to the axis of the shank and which is formed with peripherally spaced teeth or notches, and a handle having a side slot into which the shank is fitted, the handle being pivotally secured to the disk of the shank to permit tilting movement of the shank in the slot adjusting the shank to selected angular positions relative to the handle.

Detent mechanism is provided for releasably holding the handle in one of a number of angular positions relative to the shank, the mechanism including a pin movably carried on the handle for longitudinal movement relative thereto into and out of engagement with any selected one of the notches of the disk of the shank, means for yieldingly urging the pin in a direction to engage the pin in the notch, and means for moving the pin out of such engagement.

The shank, disk, and slot are shaped for coaction to cause the shank to rotate with the handle in all positions of adjustment of the shank and handle while permitting pivotal movement of the handle to any selected position of angular adjustment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, on a reduced scale, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention showing the handle of the same in one of its operating positions with the handle in axial alignment with the shank of the tool;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 showing the handle in another of its operating positions, with the handle disposed substantially at right angles to the axis of the shank of the tool;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view, taken along the line 3 3 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, and on a somewhat enlarged scale;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 4 4 of FIG. 3, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view, taken along the line 5 5 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, and on a somewhat enlarged scale; and,

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view, taken along the line 6 6 of FIG. 4, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PARTICULAR EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION The invention is illustrated herein in connection with its use on a screw driver, it being understood that the handle structure is also capable of application to many other kinds of hand tools wherever an angularly adjustable handle may be desirable.

The screw driver of the present illustration, with which the handle of the invention is used, may be of more or less conventional construction, having an elongated shank 10 provided with the usual outer end portion or blade 12, shaped for insertion in the slotted head of a screw to turn the same upon rotation of the shank, the shank in this instance being of square shape in cross section, although shanks of other convenient shapes may be employed.

The shank 10 is provided at its inner or upper end with a disk-shaped portion 14, welded or otherwise attached thereto, and which, in the present illustration, is of a thickness substantially the same as the cross sectional width of the shank.

The disk or annular head 14 is centrally perforated, as seen at 16, and is formed with a number of circumferentially spaced, radial, outwardly opening notches 18, best seen in FIG. 4, three of such notches being shown in the present illustration.

The perforation 16 has its center located on the longitudinal axis of the shank and one of the notches 18 is also so located while another of the notches is disposed on a radius of the disk 14 which is at an angle of 45 to the longitudinal axis of the shank, and the third such notch is on a radius disposed at an angle of to such axis. The notches 18 may, of course, be positioned at various angles to the axis of the shank and there may be as many such notches as may be desirable, depending upon the various angles at which the handle is to be adjustable.

The handle structure of the invention includes an elongated hollow, generally tubular shaped barrel or handle member 20, which in the present instance, is of generally rectangular cross sectional shape, but which may be of other desired shapes.

The barrel 20 has at one end a side slot 22 extending longitudinally in the wall of the barrel, whose lower end is open and into which the shank is fitted, the slot being of a width to permit the shank to swing angularly therein relative to the barrel to the various angular positions to which the handle is adjustable.

The shank 10 is pivotally secured to the handle for angular movement relative thereto, by means of a pivot pin 24 extending through the central perforation 16 of the head 14 and through opposite openings 26 in the wall of the barrel 2.0, as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4.

A tubular insert 28, which is closed at one end, is fitted into the barrel 20 inwardly of the disk 14 and the barrel may be closed at its other end by a suitable plug 30 which also closes the other end of the insert.

The closed end of the insert 28 is centrally perforated for the slidable extension therethrough of a spring pressed pin or detent element 32 whose lower end is shaped to be releaseably engaged in a selected one of the notches 18 to releasably hold the shank in a se lected position of angular adjustment relative to the handle.

The pin 32 is yieldingly urged in a direction to enter the selected one of the notches 18 by a coil spring 34 located in the insert 28 and whose upper end is seated on the plug 30 while its lower end is seated on an operating member or shaft 36 by which the pin 32 may be released from the notches.

The operating member 36 has a rebent portion or loop 38 which serves as a lower end seat for the spring 34 and which is engaged in an annular groove 40 of the pin to connect the pin to the member for longitudinal movement therewith.

The operating member 36 is extended downwardly through perforations in the closed end of the insert 28 and in the lower end of the barrel into a lower end recess in the barrel located radially outwardly from the shank l0, and within which an operating button 42, attached to the member, is slidably disposed.

By this arrangement, it will be apparent that the pin 32 will hold the shank 10 in a selected position of angular adjustment by engagement in one of the notches 18 from which the pin may be released by depressing the button 42 to allow the handle to be moved to some other position of adjustment.

In making use of the invention, constructed as described above, the handle may be positioned in axial alignment with the shank, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, by depressing the button 42 to release the pin 32 from the disk 14 and adjusting the shank angularly to allow the pin to enter the one of the notches I8 which is in axial alignment with the shank, whereupon the shank will be securely held in axial alignment with the handle to permit use of the tool in the manner of an ordinary screw driver.

When it is desired to move the handle to a position to obtain greater leverage for the turning of the shank, the button 42 may be depressed to release the pin 32 to allow the shank to be moved angularly relative to the handle to a selected angular position, whereupon the pin 32 will be urged into the selected one of the notches 18 to hold the shank at the desired angle. Thus, the handle may be moved to its position of axial alignment with the shank as shown in FIG. I, or to a position in angular adjustment relative to the shank, such as the 45 position shown in dashed lines in FIG. 2, or to some other angular position, such as the right angle, crosshandle position of FIG. 2.

Due to the opposite flat faces of the head 14 and the flat faces of the shank in engagement with the side walls of the slot 22, the shank will be firmly held in the handie for rotation therewith in all angular positions of the shank relative to the handle, while at the same time the handle will be securely held in any selected one of its angular positions on the shank by the releasable detent mechanism.

It will thus be apparent that the invention provides a handle for hand tools which may be readily adjusted to various angular positions relative to the shank of the tool, and in which the handle is securely held in any selected position of adjustment during the operation of the tool.

Having thus clearly shown and described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a handle structure for a tool having a shank to be rotated manually,

a disc-like head on one end of the shank formed with peripherally spaced notches;

a handle member having two ends and a longitudinal slot into which said head may be inserted; means forming a pivotal connection between the head and member in the slot at a point between the ends of said member to permit rotation of the head about an axis to adjust the angular position of the shank relative to the member, said slot and head being shaped for coaction to cause the shank to rotate with the member in multiple angular positions;

means movably carried by the member for movement to one position in engagement with said head in one of said notches to hold the shank at a selected angular position relative to the member, said mov able means comprising an elongate pin having a groove thereabout;

resilient means urging said movable means toward engagement;

release means connected to said movable means hand operative in opposition to said resilient means for disengaging said movable means with the head, said release means comprising a push button and in elongated push rod member rotatively connected to said pin at said groove.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said resilient means includes a compressed coil spring bearing on said movable means, and the head has at least two notches which lockingly receive the pin therein.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 including an axially aligned coil spring adjacent to said pin for moving it axially, and an internal axial chamber means in said handle, for receiving said spring and pin.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 including a passage in the handle parallel to the axis of said pin for receiving said elongated push rod member, and a cavity in the handle at its surface for receiving the push button exposed for hand operation.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 in which said cavity is lo cated near the lower end of the handle.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 in which the elongated push rod member is bent about said pin and fitted in said groove. 

1. In a handle structure for a tool having a shank to be rotated manually, a disc-like head on one end of the shank formed with peripherally spaced notches; a handle member having two ends and a longitudinal slot into which said head may be inserted; means forming a pivotal connection between the head and member in the slot at a point between the ends of said member to permit rotation of the head about an axis to adjust the angular position of the shank relative to the member, said slot and head being shaped for coaction to cause the shank to rotate with the member in multiple angular positions; means movably carried by the member for movement to one position in engagement with said head in one of said notches to hold the shank at a selected angular position relative to the member, said movable means comprising an elongate pin having a groove thereabout; resilient means urging said movable means toward engagement; release means connected to said movable means hand operative in opposition to said resilient means for disengaging said movable means with the head, said release means comprising a push button and in elongated push rod member rotatively connected to said pin at said groove.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said resilient means includes a compressed coil spring bearing on said movable means, and the head has at least two notches which lockingly receive the pin therein.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 including an axially aligned coil spring adjacent to said pin for moving it axially, and an internal axial chamber means in said handle, for receiving said spring and pin.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 including a passage in the handle parallel to the axis of said pin for receiving said elongated push rod member, and a cavity in the handle at its surface for receiving the push button exposed for hand operation.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 in which said cavity is located near the lower end of the handle.
 6. The apparatus of claim 4 in which the elongated push rod member is bent about said pin and fitted in said groove. 